Ashlin Bush

Family Portraits: 2016-2017

Each of these pieces is the manifestation of a revealing posture, gesture, or expression taken from an unguarded moment.

I became invested in imperfections and details, cataloging the nuances that reveal each person’s uniqueness. I found my own version of the truth among the set of the jaw, the scars, and the hairlines.

"Matriarch"

24" x 30"

acrylic on canvas

2017

"Mother-Father"

32" x 26"

acrylic on canvas

2017

"Becky"

32" x 22"

acrylic on canvas

2017

"Sister"

36" x 36"

acrylic on canvas

2017

"Conditional"

24" x 30"

acrylic on canvas

2017

Installation

acrylic paintings on canvas

2017

Forage

Having grown up spending a large portion of my time outdoors in the Columbia Gorge, the Mt. Hood National Forest, and at the Oregon coast, I developed a great respect for the natural world. As a single parent with extremely limited resources, I reached a point where my self-education had to stretch beyond the edible mushrooms and berries that I knew from the woods to include the natural foods that were actually around us in the suburbs. I supplemented my children’s diet with acorns, weeds, and mushrooms I found in yards and parking strips.

Over the last couple of years, my artistic focus has shifted to reflect these practices of foraging and harvesting. This work is an investigation into the development of my family's unique culture and a dependence on the natural world that was ultimately brought about by our social position.

Adaptation to the landscape was integral to the success of my family.

"Chanterelle"

5 1/2" x 6"

ink & colored pencil on paper

2016

"Hedgehog"

5 1/2" x 4"

ink & colored pencil on paper

2016

"Morel"

4 3/4" x 4 3/4"

ink & colored pencil on paper

2016

"Birch Bolete (Spore Print)"

5 3/4' x 6 1/4"

birch bolete spores on paper

2016

"King Bolete (Spore Print)"

4 3/4" x 4 3/4"

king bolete spores on paper

2016

"Birch"

ceramic

2017

"Birch"

ceramic

2017

"Birch"

ceramic

2017

"Gather"

wool

2017

"Provisions (Button Mushroom)"

wool

2017

"Provisions (Button Mushroom)"

wool

2017

"Provisions (King Bolete)"

wool

2017

"Redeeming the Hazel: Womb"

16" x 18"

hazel, hazelnuts, & wool

2017

Sculpture

"Sanctuary"

48" x 12" x 36"

artist’s wedding dress, feathers, wire, birch

2016

"Family Artifact"

mixed media

2016

Prompted by my personal questions of what defines a family, I am investigating not only the individuals, but also the family as a whole. Participants provided objects that portray personal and collective significance.

Each person who contributed was left to define for themselves what constitutes “our family.” The included quotations are the responses they gave to the question “What makes our family unique?”